He rounded the corner, raised his arm, and fired.
Two National Guard reservists were shot near the White House by a 29-year-old Afghan citizen identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal in a targeted attack. The suspect arrived in the US in 2021 through a Biden-era Afghan ally program and was working in irregular immigration status at the time of the attack.
- Two National Guard reservists—Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24—shot near the White House on November 26
- Shooter identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, Afghan citizen who arrived in US in September 2021
- Lakanwal was in country illegally; his temporary authorization had expired
- Attack occurred at corner of 17th and I Streets, northwest Washington, around 2:15 p.m.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended all Afghan immigration applications following the incident
An Afghan citizen opened fire near the White House, critically wounding two Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington. The incident triggered immediate security mobilization and prompted suspension of Afghan immigration applications.
On a Wednesday afternoon in late November, just steps from the White House, two young soldiers from West Virginia's National Guard lay bleeding on the pavement. Sarah Beckstrom, twenty years old, and Andrew Wolfe, twenty-four, had been shot at close range near the corner of 17th and I Streets in northwest Washington. They were there as part of a federal deployment meant to help contain violence in American cities. Instead, they became the targets of a deliberate attack.
The shooter was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a twenty-nine-year-old Afghan citizen. According to accounts from the Metropolitan Police Department, he rounded the corner, raised his arm, and fired. He shot one guard, who fell to the ground, then bent over him and fired again. The weapon was a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. The attack happened around 2:15 p.m. local time, on the eve of Thanksgiving.
Lakanwal had driven to Washington from Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and five children. He had arrived in the United States in September 2021 through a program called Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration initiative designed to bring Afghan allies into the country following the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The program granted temporary travel authorizations lasting two years, but did not confer permanent immigration status. At the time of the shooting, Lakanwal was in the country illegally—his temporary authorization had expired, and he had not secured any other legal status.
The incident triggered an immediate and sweeping response from federal security agencies. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a suspension of all Afghan immigration applications. Foreign nationals waiting in line for green cards—documents that permit permanent residence—were suddenly caught in the freeze. The District of Columbia's prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro, took charge of the investigation. The FBI director, Kash Patel, confirmed that authorities had already interrogated all family members of the suspect in Bellingham and were speaking with witnesses. Patel also confirmed that Lakanwal had worked for a CIA-backed military unit in Afghanistan before being transferred to the United States in 2021.
The two National Guard members remained in critical condition in the hospital. Initially, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said both had died, but Patel corrected the record: they were alive, though gravely wounded. The mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, described it as a targeted shooting—an individual who appeared to have these guards specifically in his sights. The attack was not random.
President Donald Trump, spending Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, called the shooting "an act of evil, an act of hate, and an act of terrorism." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that five hundred additional military personnel would be deployed to Washington, joining the twenty-five hundred troops already stationed there since August to patrol the capital. Trump promised justice for what had occurred.
The incident raised immediate questions about the vetting procedures for Afghan evacuees and the broader security implications of the 2021 withdrawal. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pointed to the Operation Allies Welcome program as the pathway through which Lakanwal had entered the country, noting that while it was designed to help Afghan allies, it had not conferred permanent status and had allowed him to remain in legal limbo. The shooting, occurring just blocks from the seat of American power, had exposed a gap between intention and outcome—between a program meant to honor those who had worked alongside American forces and the reality of an individual who had slipped into irregular status and, according to authorities, committed an act of violence.
Citas Notables
An act of evil, an act of hate, and an act of terrorism— President Donald Trump, describing the shooting
A targeted shooting, an individual who appeared to have these guards specifically in his sights— Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C.
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why were National Guard members from West Virginia stationed near the White House in the first place?
They were part of a federal deployment that began in August to help manage public violence in American cities. The Guard was being used as an internal security force, which is itself unusual and worth noting.
And Lakanwal—he had worked with American forces in Afghanistan?
Yes. He was part of a CIA-backed military unit in Kandahar. That's why he qualified for the Operation Allies Welcome program in 2021. He was supposed to be an ally.
But his status had expired by the time of the shooting?
Correct. His temporary authorization lasted two years. By November 2025, he was in the country illegally. He could have applied for asylum or other protections, but apparently he didn't, or those applications were denied.
What does the suspension of Afghan immigration applications actually accomplish?
Politically, it signals a response to the incident. Practically, it freezes the process for thousands of people waiting for green cards. It's a blunt instrument—punishing an entire population for the actions of one person.
Do we know what motivated him?
The sources don't say. We know the shooting was targeted, that he came prepared with a specific weapon, that he drove across the country to do it. But his motive remains unclear.
What happens to the two soldiers?
They're in critical condition. The story ends there—with them hospitalized, their futures uncertain, and the country asking how this happened.